October 08,2020
BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA – Senate Finance
Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is seeking
additional information from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) regarding the manufacturing practices of Lockheed Martin’s C-130J
aircraft after whistleblower reports stated that the program has resulted in
significant health and safety concerns after utilizing an adhesion promoter, PR-148,
as an aerosol.
Grassley Seeks Additional Information on Lockheed C-130 J Manufacturing Contract, Worker Health Complaints
BUTLER COUNTY, IOWA – Senate Finance
Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is seeking
additional information from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) regarding the manufacturing practices of Lockheed Martin’s C-130J
aircraft after whistleblower reports stated that the program has resulted in
significant health and safety concerns after utilizing an adhesion promoter, PR-148,
as an aerosol.
In January, Grassley sent a letter
to the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General (DOD OIG)
requesting that they review whistleblower complaints and ensure that health and
safety requirements were being met. The DOD OIG forwarded these concerns to the
Air Force Office of Inspector General (AFIG) who then claimed that OSHA had
determined the chemical’s use as an aerosol was safe. However, OSHA has repeatedly
stated that they never specifically investigated the use of PR-148 as an
aerosol at the manufacturing facility.
In a letter
to Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia, Grassley requested information on this
discrepancy, a copy of the letter AFIG referenced in their response and data on
the potential impact on the health of employees using PR-148 as an aerosol.
“The application of this chemical, by
this method, may have long term consequences for those applying the chemical as
well as others involved in the manufacturing process nearby… Many of the
symptoms the OSHA chemical expert listed, were symptoms that whistleblowers and
employees had stated that they are experiencing, symptoms such as: cancer,
skeletal malformations, and lung damage,” Grassley
wrote.
“Recently, my staff has had several
phone calls with OSHA experts regarding the details of the AFIG
investigation. During these calls OSHA
representatives said that they were unaware of any inspections at the facility
in question other than a routine inspection in 2016. Furthermore, they informed
my staff that my letter to DOD OIG was the first time they had been made aware
of the misuse of PR-148.”
Full text of the letter can be found HERE.
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